Some of the biggest stars in football, including Alex Scott, Marcel Desailly, Nadine Kessler, Michael Essien, Laura Georges and Gilberto Silva, have assembled as part of a 23-strong FIFA Legends squad for a campaign that will see these illustrious footballing personalities harness their sporting superpowers and turn into superheroes on a mission to promote the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 and the women’s game in general.

With just four months to go before FIFA’s flagship women’s football tournament kicks off, 23 current and former players, representing 19 of the tournament’s qualified nations, are coming together in a one-of-a-kind promotional initiative to support the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 and drive match attendances, increase TV viewership, generate engagement and inspire a new generation to play women’s football.

Made up of 13 women and ten men, the squad members were selected for their superhuman qualities and unshakeable commitment on and off the pitch. Each has had to overcome obstacles in the face of adversity and as part of the campaign and the wider FIFA #DareToShine movement, will be encouraging women and girls to push boundaries to succeed in all areas of life.

Former England footballer Alex Scott said: “Who hasn’t dreamed of being a superhero?! I’m so excited about #LegendsAssemble because my alter ego, Trail Blazer, has only one objective – to empower girls and women and encourage them to play football!”

This coming together of FIFA Women’s World Cup Legends is visualised through a launch video, where each player is given a call to arms and transformed into their alter-ego showing them in their national team colours and sporting superpowers that range from shapeshifting to genius intelligence and X-ray vision. This will be followed up with a 23-episode series of mini-films that will give an insight into the #LegendsAssemble movement and reveal the relationships that defined them as footballers as well as the struggles that influenced them to become advocates for the women’s game.

Speaking about the #LegendsAssemble project, Michael Essien said: “Watch out – as The Bison I am indestructible! I will use this power to change the way people see women’s football and get everyone to rally behind the biggest sporting competition this summer – the FIFA Women’s World Cup!”

As part of the #LegendsAssemble campaign, the FIFA Legends have committed to raising the profile of women’s football both on- and offline. Fans will be able to meet their superheroes ahead of the tournament kick-off, when individual squad members will take part in almost 100 events across the world that will include trophy tours, Host City activations and media appearances, in addition to attending matches during the tournament.

“The eighth edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be very special and it takes place at a time when women around the globe are uniting to make their voices heard. The tournament’s official slogan “Dare to Shine” echoes the current world movement towards female empowerment and I am looking forward to seeing teams of strong and passionate women, from 24 different countries, illuminate football stadiums in France with their skill. Our superheroes will help us to reach a global audience of one billion and make the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 our biggest and best yet – for players, for fans, for local communities and for the empowerment of girls and women.”